So, I’m on week five of law school. So far so good. I’ve survived being cold called a few times, I’ve dug through hundreds of pages of cases and statutes and rules, and I love every minute of it. Weird, right?
Things I love about school: free lunches, speakers, tons of activities and groups, new friends, library time, yoga, fitness classes and how nice everyone is. Almost every lunch period I’ve had somewhere to go listen to someone talk about an area of the law or something pertaining to school in general. Usually these talks include food of some sort, which is an added bonus! I’ve gotten to listen to a couple visiting speakers, the most interesting to me so far being the visitors from West Africa. I loved learning about how the law works in that part of the world and how they are trying to develop something like the EU in Africa. I have also noticed how there is never ending activities, so I’m never at a loss for what to do weeknights or weekends. Whether it be a football game, trivia night, or the upcoming barrister’s ball- I love the endless activities that I can choose to attend. I also love our library. Up to this point I’ve never used a library really and I enjoy using a few hours at the end of each school day to try to wrap up a bulk of my work there in that serene setting surrounded by my peers all doing similar work. Also, I love how genuine this school is, everyone really does care about how you are doing and if you are enjoying school. I’ve also had the benefit of taking advantage of the fitness classes and brand new facilities on east campus for much needed late-afternoon study breaks.
I’ve found a great rhythm already and I’m starting to get in the groove of everything, I’m awaiting the return of my first practice test and we’ve just been assigned our first graded legal writing assignment. So time to start working even harder.
This post is mainly for me to organize my thoughts, but I figured I might add some notes for people perhaps considering law school.
What to expect:
- you are going to work harder in law school then you ever have in undergrad
- the professors are there to help you, don’t be afraid to approach them with questions or ask questions in class
- being cold called sucks, but no one will judge you if you don’t give a brilliant answer
- make a schedule for reading and life in general, it really helps, trust me
- don’t waste time sitting doing silly things unless you are purposefully unwinding
- make sure you take breaks from school, burnout is a real thing
- exercise, law school requires lots of sitting, but staying healthy is key to getting everything done, so be sure to get in a workout- I paid for a workout class membership to encourage me to workout at a scheduled time each day, so far it is working pretty well!
- set goals and make sure you reach them
- try out a study group, talking things out helps you understand
- ask silly questions (simple questions) if you have them
- start outlining when you start to have an idea what is going on, keep outlining once you start
- read the case once before you attack it with the highlighters
- color coding highlighters helps me pick out the different parts of cases and helps when cold called in class (ex. green = facts of the case)
- be a human, take a day off once in a while when you can to help relieve stress and come back more prepared to start work again
Overall, so far I love school. I’ve found the reading long but interesting, so I think I’m in the right place. Keep looking here for more updates as I have time to write them, this blog is serving as an unwinding tool for me- but feel free to comment if you have any questions about law school, or any tips for me as a 1L if you’ve finished or are further along in law school than I am!
1L over and out.
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